Material-handling mechanism



Oct. 7, 1952 A. w. OEHLER 2,612,980

MATERIAL- HANDLING MECHANI SM Filed Nov. 17, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 36 '24 as 21, a6 38 INVEN TOR.

AJWOe/z/er for/ 98 Oct. 7, 1952 A. w. O EHLER 2,612,980 I MATERIAL-HANDLING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 AW 06/: (er

Patented Oct. 7, 1952 2,612,980 MATERIAL-HANDLING MECHANISM Alvin W. Oehler, Moline, 111., assignor to Deere & Company, Moline, 111., a corporation of Illi nois Application November 17, 1950, Serial No. 196,145

9 Claims.

This invention relates to material-handling mechanism and more particularly to such mechanism as applied to a harvester for handling crops such as grain.

The invention in one aspect is in the nature of an improvement in mechanism of the type disclosed in assignees United States Patent 2,529,180, wherein is disclosed a harvester of the combine type having a relatively narrow longitudinal body provided at its forward end with a feed opening through which crops are fed rearwardly from a relatively wide harvesting platform in the form of an elongated trough having a pair of rotatable auger means for receiving crops across the front or cutter bar edge of the trough and for moving such crops inwardly toward the center to be ultimately delivered into the feed opening, which leads to material-treating means such as threshing and separating mechanism. The augers are oppositely wound and have innerterminal ends spaced apart axially on the order of the width of the feed opening. In other words, the augers are discontinued immediately ahead of the feed terminate as stated above, provides a mechanism that operates satisfactorily in normal operating,

conditions. However, in abnormal conditions, such as conditions in which the grain is unusually short, it is found that the inward extent of the augers is not sufficient to complete the transfer of crops from the augers to the central material-handling means. According to the present invention, this difiiculty is overcome by the provision of attachment means in the form of auger extensions respectively positionable at the inner terminal ends of the augers for selectively varying the axial inward extents of the augers. It is a feature of the invention that each extension auger is provided as a plurality of separable auger or helical vane sections connectible in end-to-end series relationship, these being selectively usable separately or together, whereby the length of the auger conveyor with which they are used may be varied in single or multiple increments according to the arcuate length of each of the attachment sections.

It is an object of the invention to provide the attachment sections as simple and inexpensive auxiliary feeder means and to provide cooperative attachment means whereby the sections may be readily attached to or removed from the main auger conveyor. It is a further object of the invention to utilize auger attachment sections of this character in connection with a main auger conveyor of the type in which one or more helical flights is wound on a tubular core or shaft, and to provide in this shaft access openings having removable covers for facilitating the mounting and dismounting of the attachment sections.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of attachment sections that may be used in completely assembled relationship so as to overlap axially in a zone centrally or midway between the ends ofthe auger, or substantially midway between the laterally spaced apart sides of the feed opening.

The foregoing and'other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become apparent as a preferred embodiment thereof is fully disclosed in the following detailed description and accompanying sheets of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the forward portion of what may be considered a combine of conventional construction.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are perspective views of an intermediate portion of the auger conveyor, illustrating the central part of the auger conveyor and the manner in which the attachment sec tions are applied thereto.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the attachment sections.

The combine chosen for the purposes of illustration is of the self-propelled type having longitudinal body [0 carried on a plurality of wheels, only the forward wheels 12 and I4, which are traction wheels in this case, being shown. A portion of the body It] extends forwardly in the form of a longitudinal feeder house it that is quite narrow compared to the transverse spacing between the wheels 12 and I4. ward end of the feeder house !6 is open to provide a feed opening !8 through which harvested grain may be fed from a harvester platform designated generally by the numeral 29. The platform is in the form of a substantially elongated trough having an intermediate trough portion 22, directly in front of the feed opening 18 and coextensive therewith, and a pair of extension trough portions 24 and 26 projecting laterally or transversely at opposite sides of the feed The leadingedge of the platform The forposite ends by end walls 32 and 34 which may include supports 36 and 38 for the reel30. Other conventional parts of the combine comprise an operators station 40 including a seat 42 and a steering wheel 44 for guiding the combine.

The cut grain delivered rearwardly overthe.

cutter bar 23 by the reel 39 is received by the trough 22-2426 and is moved centrallygor-ine.

wardly from the opposite ends of the platformby means of a rotatable auger conveyor designated generally by the numeral 46. i This auger includes.

a central shaft 48 preferably in the form of a tubular core, and a pair of oppositely awound.

augers or helical vanes 50 Sand 52 are fixed to the shaft or, core 48.1 The auger or vane -5iextendsr inwardly from the, platformrend. wall,32 normally toarterminal-innerend at .54--(Figure 5). The I auger gor vane 52 extends .centrally or; inwardly from the platform-endwall 34 to-an inner'termie nal end 56- (also Figure 5).

Theainner terminal ends Stand 56 are-spacedapa-rt laxially on the order of the transverse spacingof side wallstfland 60 of the feeder houseiili. Statedotherwise the-auger shaft or corelid-may be saidzto comprise three coaxial sections; namelyr acentral;

normally vaneless section; 52, :and a pair of outer sections, 64 and 65 .thatyare respectively substamv tially coextensive withthetroughportions 24 and.

26. The central section 62 issubstantiallycoextensive with. the central: trough portion 2 2..-

A forward'portion ofthe body It] carries a .con-

ventional threshing cylinder GB-to which crops;

are delivered-by an endless conveyor-10 that opera ates in the direction of theiarrowvin-Fig-ure '2. This conveyor is carried-atits ,end adj acent the" cylinder 68, by means of ,a transverse rotary element I2 and. is. carried-at-its forward end by a relatively larger rotary element. 745-.- This-element M places the forward end of -the. .conveyoral0 just rearwardly of the centralsection162v of: theauger shaft 46." Theconveyoriwhas aplurality oftransverseslats 16 ,by meanspf which grainais carried upwardly and rearwardly over an inclined floor 18 at thebottom of thefeeder-house 16.1, The.

front. of n the feeder house is defined by anuprightwall portion 80 having its lower edge spaced above the bottom of the trough portion 22 so as'to define the feed opening l8.

tively from the trough portions 24 and 2 6.

The auger-shaft 46 may carry atits central; sec-:-

The wall-Bills part of: an upright back wall structure including,- ;extension portions. 82 and. 84. extending upwardly ,respec-- tion 62, means for receiving crops-fromtheraugers 50 and-52andfor, moving these,- crops rearwardly .GOU through the opening .l8 to .the conveyor lflh- Inan instance such as that shown, ,thismeans must be capable, of handling also harvested crops moving; rearwardly ,directly; over.,th e :central; pQrtion: of the,,cutter bar. '28. Theparticulanmeans shown:

here follows somewhat the basiciprinciples following thesubject matterofnassignees patent identified above and ,comprises .a plurality .of. crop-engaging, elements. .in..the, form offing rs 86..

These fingers extend inwardly ,through .slotsor.

perforations .83 formed in "the, tubular. section 62 and are jo urnaled at their innervendslonva control.

shaft 90 fixed in a, positionparallelto but. eccen-.

trically disposed as respects the axis; of the auger. shaft .46.v Asthe complete auger assembly 1'0:

; I06 having-an. apertured base i 88.

tates, the fingers 86 are successively extended and retracted, the sequence of operation of the fingers being such that the fingers are extended outwardly to move forwardly, downwardly and then rearwardly, receiving during this phase of operation crops received directly over the center portion of cutter bar 28 and also crops delivered by the augers 58 "and 52, to sweep these crops rearwardly through-the feed opening 58. During the succeeding phase, the fingers 36 are retracted to efiect stripping of the crops therefrom. The nature.ofsthe construction and operation of the feeder can best be seen in Figure 2. The fingers aretarranged.spira'lly (Figures 3, 4 and 5) about the central shaftlsection 62, the pitch of this spiral being substantially longer than the pitch of the auger 50.

The combine is operated under normal conditionswith the auger and. feeder assembly as shown in Figure 5. With the-assembly as thus constituted,i-long grainiis relatively easily handled and wrapping. of the grain; about :the central portion of :thezcauger-nshaft' and 'cloggingof crops at the feed opening will not be experienced. However, in .the :operation: .of: thegcombine through short grain; itrmay, be foundgthat theaxial inward extent of jea-chrauger; 50. or f52';iS not sufiicient to PIOPBPthQTCITQDSSfSl-l' .enoughiinwarmy to be handleid-zby theefin ersi'fi fi- For :this. purpose, there lias.. .beenrirpr.ovided:;acc.ording., to. the present invention'zauxiliary orattachment. means comprising ,a ;pair of auger "extensions designated generally bythenumerals92 and ;94; in Figures 1 and Theextensionzfihmay. be usednas a continuation orextension-pf; thelaugerfi 9.... The. extension at is.

similarly ',p1oVided- 'for::the -.augerc 52'." These ex-. tensionsmespectively have thepitch and direction of the. angers. gwithqwhich they are used.

Theextension 92 comprisesia pair of identical arcuate vanepsectionsgflli, connectible. in end-toend,seriesprelationship :andJusable. separately or together to. ;vary" the axial extent ofthe auger 59 in single;or zmultiplelincrements according to the length of a section::. In Figure 4, only the single sectiontild'haspbeen. added 'to' the inner terminal end 54; of the augerafilliwln Figure 3, both sections 96' havebeenaddedaflhe auger extension 94 com prises a pair of identicalrarcuate vane sections Eh; having the characteristics of the sections 96, with the exception :that the spiral thereof. is reversed.

The, sections. 96;anda98' may. be used in series or combination as: suggested in Figures 3 and 4. It

will be.-:notedthatsimFigure' 3 'the' inner sections 96- and- 98" extend beyond the midpoint ofthefeed opening! 18 andaccordingly overlap axially. The

arcuate extentyoft the;:sections-is.sueh that the overlapping .endsrthereof are angularly spaced about the.cen-trahshaftsection.62.?

It is. a5feature-10ftheinvention.:to. provide at."

tachmennmeansziwhereby the. secti0ns96 and til maybe readily mounted on .:or:dismounted from the'auger'or; conveyorassembly. For this purpose,:; the cen-tralw section. 52 is. provided with a plurality of. apertures] M, which are spaced apart spirally;accor,ding :to.:the lengths of the sections 96. and. 198p: Theminner' rterminal end 54 of theauger--50has-apairofapertures N32. The section 5' S-Drovided at: oneyend with a pair of apertures lMlFigure. 6). and at'its other end with a bracket 96 is attached at the innerterminalend Moi. the auger ins-by placing th -section; on the central shaft section-62 in such manner that the apertures 104 are; alinedwith the apertures I02 and the aperturedbaselll8wof the bracket IE6 is- The. section alined with the aperture I09 nearest-to the terminal end 54 of the auger '50. Bolts IIII-:(Figures' 3 and 4) are passed through the alined apertures 1 I02 and I04 and a third bolt I I2 is passed through the apertured base I08 and its alined aperture I00. The central section 62 is provided with a pair of access openings I IBFeach of which is normally closed or covered by a cover plate H8. The cover plates are removably secured in place by a plurality of cap screws I20. Access may be had through the left hand opening (as viewed in Figures 4 and 5) for assembling the section 96 by means of the bolt II 2. After assembly is. com--. pleted the cover plate I I8 is replaced. I

The bracket I06 may be secured to the section. 96 by a pair of removable boltsl22. -When a.

access may be had through the left hand opening IIE.

As previously stated, the sections 93, with the exception of being reversed as respects the sections 96, have all the characteristics of the sections 98 and to that end are provided with at tachment means such as those just described.

Th inner terminal end 55 of the auger 52 has a pair of apertures I26 to which the first attachment section 98 may be secured by a pair of bolts I28. Each section 98 has at its other end a mounting bracket I30 which may be bolted to the central section 62 by means of the appropriate apertures I00.

As is best shown in Figure 3, the innermost sections 96 and 98 not only overlap axially as respects each other but intersect the spiral on which the fingers B6 are arranged. The design is such that all of the sections 96 and 98 pass between the fingers 86 so that operation of the fingers is not in any way impaired.

It will be seen that the operation of the combine is materially improved by the simple expedient of the readily mountable and dismountable sections. The normal design of the combine is not disturbed, it being necessary only to provide the appropriate apertures for mounting the attachment sections. In the particular instance illustrated, the access openings I I6 and cover plates 8 therefore are normally provided for facilitating inspection and repairing of the feeder means including the fingers 86.

Various other features of the invention not specifically enumerated herein will undoubtedly ccur to those versed in the art, as likewise will many variations of the preferredembodiment of the inventionillustrated, all of which may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. Material-handling mechanism for a harvester having a longitudinal body including a f orward, relatively narrow feed opening and having a forward elongated conveyor trough arranged with its length transverse to the body and ahead of the feed opening to provide a trough portion immediately ahead of and substantially coextensive with the feed opening and a pair or extension trough portions projecting transversely at opposite sides of the body and feed opening, comprising: an elongated conveyor shaft rotatably 6, carried by the trough and substantially coextensive therewith; a pair of main helical vanes oppositely wound on and fixed'to the shaft for conveying material in opposite axial directions and along the trough from opposite ends thereof to the feed opening, said vanes having inner terminal ends spaced coaxially apart on the order of the width of the feed opening; means connected toand rotatable with the intermediate shaft portion between said inner terminal ends of the vanes for intercepting axially moving material conveyed by the'main vanes and including radially projecting, material-engaging elements for moving such material rearwardly into the feed opening; anda plurality of helical vane extensions selectively mountable on or dismountable from saidintermediate shaft portion and providing respectively continuations of the vanes at their inner terminal ends for selectively increasing or decreasing the axial'lengths of the main helical vanes, said extensions when mounted intersecting the material-engaging elements to de crease the material-engaging capacity of said elements.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, further characterized in that: the materia1engaging elemerits on the intermediate shaft portion between thei'nner terminal ends of the vanes comprises a plurality of finger-like members; and the vane extensions are constructed and arranged to spiral between certain of said members.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, further characterized in that: the inner terminal end portion of each vane has first attachment means thereon; the intermediate shaft portion has second attachment means thereon spaced axially and circumferentially of the shaft from the first attachment means; and the vane extensions respectively have axially and circumferentially spaced attachment means cooperative respectively with the aforesaid first and second attachment means to eifect the mounting and dismounting of the vane extensions.

4. The invention defined in claim 1, further characterized in that: the van extensions from the vanes extend axially past the center of the intermediate shaft portion and further extend circumferentially so as to be spaced apart angularly and to overlap axially.

5. The invention defined in claim 1, further characterized in that: the material-moving elements on the intermediate shaft portion between the inner terminal ends of the vanes comprise a plurality of finger-like members arranged spirally about said intermediate shaft portion in the same direction as but of longer pitch than one of the vanes; and the vane extensions spiral between certain of said elements and intersect the spiral of said elements.

6. The invention defined in claim 1, further characterized in that: the intermediate portion of the conveyor shaft is of relatively large tubular construction and has openings therein for access to the interiorthereof removable covers are provided for said openings; said intermediate shaft portion has apertures therein; and the vane extensions have securing means thereon cooperative with said apertures to pass therethrough into the interior of said intermediate shaft section and accessible through said openings when the covers are removed.

7. The invention defined in claim 1, further characterized in that: each extension vane comprises a plurality of separable arcuate sections connectiblein: endeto-end:seriesrelationshin and. selectively usable. ntogether. :or separately i to wary; the length; of xtherproximate main vane in. single or multiple. increments. raccordingq to the lengths of said sections;

8.- Material-handling mechanism- .for a har-. vester havingv a longitudinal body including a for ward, relatively narrow feed opening-t and having' with its length transverse-tozthebody and ahead site sides of the :body' and feed opening compris ing a pair: of coaxial oppositely -.;wound. auger: conveyors :rotatably carried by -thetrough; one" over i and substantially coextensive -withleach :1 trough extensionportion-, for: :moving =material along the. trough from opposite; ends :toward the feed: opening, said-conveyors terminating at: w

their. inner ends. in. axially spacedapart relation.-

onv the order of the width of the feed opening;

rotatable means coaxial with the auger conveyors v and between the inner terminal .ends. thereof: for

intercepting axially moving -materia'l -.conveyed by the auger" conveyors; and including radially.

proj acting, material-engaging (elements for moving. such material rearwardly tothefeed opening:

and a pair of oppositely wound'extensionaugers,

or-tdisni'ountableifrommthe rotatable :means. for selectivelyfincreasina or: decreasing the axial inward extents': of. the auger conveyors; said extension augerszwh'en mounted intersecting the material+engaging elements to decrease the material engaging. capacity ofsai'd elements.-

9.:1Theiinvention .definedtin'claim 8, further characterizedin that: each extension auger com= priseset a ipluralityw of separable JarCuate sections connectibl'e fin: end to'-end 'seriesrelationship and selectively usab'lei together or separately to vary the axial inward :extent ofthe proximate auger conveyor in singlefor multiple-increments according tothe lengths'ofsaid sections.

ALVIN W. OEHLER.

REFERENCES CITED The iollowing references are of record in the file of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS O'e'hlen Nov. 7, 1950 

